Corruption
by PhantomLilac
Summary: Oneshot, pre-Avengers. Loki fell into the Bifrost to his certain demise. What could've possibly pulled him out?


"I could've done it, father! For you! For all of us!"

The younger, adoptive brother of the almighty Thor clung desperately to the staff, the Bifrost imploding less than a mile beneath them.

Trouble and grief flickered in the Allfather's gaze.

"No, Loki." was all the Allfather said with a slight shake of his head.

No, Loki.

No. Loki.

Thor saw the emotions drain from Loki. He knew what was happening.

"No!" he cried, but it was too late. The grip on the golden staff loosened, and in seconds, the green-eyed God of Mischief had began his plummet.

_'What was left to live for? I will never be the king._

_I am not the worthy son.'_ Loki thought tearily, right as he hit the Bifrost void.

He and Thor had been raised together.

They had played together, fought together, and yet now it all felt like it was meaningless.

Everything was spiraling around him.

Everything was so dark, so cold. So welcoming...

Was this death?

Death felt nice. So sweet. So merciful.

And there lay Loki, endlessly falling, in the pit of the Bifrost.

He was there for days. For weeks. Maybe even months? In his unconscious state he hadn't been counting.

For all Loki knew, he was dead.

And then he felt the jolt.

It was like he was being reanimated, energy surging through his face, his fingertips, down to his toes.

What was happening?

He blinked open his eyes, slipping into the starry, motionless world around him. He couldn't move, yet he could breathe.

_'Shouldn't I be dead?'_ was the first thought that came to Loki's mind.

His gaze shifted around him, and he let out a short gasp as he suddenly thudded onto cold, rocky ground.

Something had pulled him from the Bifrost.

Something had taken him from the death he had purposely vouched for.

He had wanted nothing more than death, and it had so viscously been taken from him. What point was there in this life, a life where he would always lose, because the Allfather would not have a Frost Giant on the throne of Asgard?

The Allfather.

Tears stung his burning, tearful eyes. He cowered, looking around him for any signs of life on this rocky, dark wasteland, but found none.

"Thor?" he found himself squeak. He brushed the image of his brother away. What did Thor care about him? In the end, Thor always got what he wanted, and Loki was always the one to grovel and kneel to him.

The luster in his eyes only grew until his pale cheeks were covered in moist, cold tears.

rately wiped them away, but found that they would not stop falling. More, and more, they fell, until he could not resist his silent woe.

He slumped onto his knees, his hands digging into the lifeless soil, his back arching in heaving movements.

_'I am a failure. Frigga, Odin, Thor...they never cared about me.'_

Loki sat up slightly, feeling the slight chill of a breeze on his neck. He shuddered, looking up to meet a cloaked figure.

The creature before him grinned with a shark-toothed smile, its very presence making him tremble, ready to cower.

"You need not fear me, Loki Odinson," the creature cooed, "my Lord Thanos has expressed great interest in you. It's not every now and then we have a god-and a Jotun-appear in our world."

Loki swallowed hard, afraid to speak. He hadn't told anyone of his heritage. How did this strange creature suddenly know of his origins in the frozen Jotunheim?

"Occurrences in the nine realms do not go unnoticed so easily, Odinson, by us Chitauri. Come, and speak with my lord." the creature continued, holding out a boney hand.

Loki winced, taking the several-fingered hand, quivering queasily at the scaly, scratchy and dry texture of it. The creature continued smiling.

"And what shall I call you by?" Loki shakily replied.

"You only need to know me by...The Other," was the response of the creature, whose grin only widened as he led Loki through the desolate land of utter and engulfing shadows.

~.::.~

**A/N: ****To the readers of _Save Me From Myself_ and _Prince of Jotunheim_: SMFM only has about 10-20 chapters left in it. When that is over, PoJ and this fic will become my primary fanfictions. I just got so excited writing this fanfiction that I just had to post Chapter 1 ^.^**

**I do hope you all will enjoy this fanfic.**

**-PhantomLilac**


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